South Africa 22

Shortly after graduating from college, I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the rural village of Phelandaba, South Africa. This was perhaps the most impactful period of my life—vastly broadening my perspectives and cementing a set of values that I still hold to this day.

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Below is a snapshot of the activities I participated in.

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Makabongwe Primary School

As part of the School and Community Resource Program, I was assigned two schools to work with. Makabongwe was the first of them.

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Makabongwe Primary School

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Here I focused on introducing computer literacy to children who, on the most part, had never seen a computer before. With the help of forward-thinking administration, I set up a small computer lab to teach after school classes in.

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I also team-taught English and Maths (yup, there's an "s" at the end) when the opportunity arose. Below, the phenomenal Ms. Nsele begins her class with song & dance.

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Sithembinhlanhla Secondary School

At Sithembinhlanhla Secondary, I focused on extracurricular English and Life-Skills programs.

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Sithembinhlanhla Secondary School

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One such program was a speech and debate team that eventually took second in regionals. Additionally, Zinhle (leftmost) took first in Prepared Speech and Sindiwe (fourth from the right) took first in Traditional Poetry. So proud!

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The Sithembinhlanhla speech & debate team, after a regional competition

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Star of Sea NGO

Outside of the schools, I assisted a local NGO called "Star of Sea" with two of their initiatives. The first, a project that provides basic housing for community members who were especially in need. This largely involved:

Evaluating potential candidates

Purchasing and delivering raw building materials

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A Star of Sea-funded home

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The second, an HIV / AIDS "popup" clinic that involved:

Providing HIV tests to community members

Conducing monthly checkups on HIV-positive patients

Packing and distributing PEPFAR-funded antiretrovirals

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The HIV testing kits we used (blood is deposited in the basin on the right)

The Trust Fortune Times

Coined by the student team, the Trust Fortune Times was a newspaper program that I introduced in an effort to promote English competency, critical thinking, and self-confidence among Sithembinhlanhla's learners.

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The Trust Fortune Times Team (plus a few photobombers)

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Team members interviewed for positions and were granted full creative freedom to publish what they found meaningful. I'd then sit down with them to adjust writing techniques and technicalities, assemble the material, and create layouts before printing and distribution.

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Below is the very first issue of TFT. It started things off with a heck of a splash.

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In this edition, the TFT team introduces jokes, puzzles, light reporting, and motivational pieces.

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Here the team engages in more robust reporting (including a full spread on a local election). I was immensely moved by how, as time went on, they felt more empowered to express themselves: On page 3, they offer support to peers who faced the hardships of abandonment and teen pregnancy.

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The learners at Sithembinhlanhla were a joy to work with. I deeply hope that the Trust Fortune Times made a positive impact on them, however large or small.

Life in Rural South Africa

I often felt like the community did (far) more for me that I did for them. Here are a few shots of the extraordinary experiences that we shared.

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Killing a chicken with my host brother

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The family kids

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Sometimes the simplest things are the most beautiful

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With little resources, the children's ingenuity shines

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Church members delivering donations to the poorest of their community

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Always looking sharp at church

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How folks get around in rural areas

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A typical Zulu dish—pap (maize porridge) and beans

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Another, less typical dish

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Gum tree farming is an esssential part of the local economy

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Cattle are still used as currency in this area

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Elephants, not so much!

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The following are a few shots of Umkhosi Womhlanga, the annual "reed festival," where tens of thousands of young maidens congregate in the hopes of being selected by the Zulu king as his next bride. (Note: there is light nudity in these images.)